Marga knew she shouldn't have snuck away so close to her bedtime. But she just had to see.
The sun was setting as Marga ran through the street, casting a long shadow behind her as she went. The sand underneath her covered her bare feet as she twisted through the familiar streets. Her older sister would not be happy when she found out she left without wearing shoes, but she was in such a rush. If she didn't hurry to the streets, the main event would be gone before she got there. Even if she got in trouble, even if her feet got blisters, even if the other kids would call her foolish, she wanted to get there.
She wanted to see the masks.
When she finally got to the main street, a crowd was their waiting for her. Mostly curious adults and teenagers, most children her age already having been sent to bed. They all stood at the edge of the street, though none dared to take a step on it. Who knew what would happen if they got in the way? Marga was small enough that she was able to push her way through the crowd's legs, sneaking her way to the front. She stared up with wide-eyed wonder.
The procession continued on like men among beasts.
Marga couldn't count how many there were. Hundreds? No, less than that. Soldiers surrounded the group, each carrying staffs and their shields to keep the crowd at bay. There was no point however. No one broke the line. Inside the circle were various different people, servants or workers of one palace or another. She guessed of her country, the country of Kina, but there was no way to tell. The main event however were the three that walked in the middle. One woman with long blue hair, a man with eyes the colour of smoke and a third that the other followed obediently.
The leader.
"It's one of the twelve kings," a man on Marga's right whispered. "I'll bet it's the king of Sasan."
"No way," said a women from behind. "That women has got to be the Queen of Kina. The one in the middle is probably one of her servants."
"I thought the leader of Kina was a King."
"I wish I knew," The girl replied with a sigh. "If only we could see."
"Both of you, hold your tongue," the man beside them hissed. "Do you want them to hear you?" Immediately both their mouths clamped shut, glancing at the guards to see if they had heard. But if they had, they didn't show it. Their helmets were much less elaborate than those they protected, just regular old soldier hats. Marga knew the knights had no reason to keep their identity secret, and only wore the helmets to remind the people of just who they were guarding. Unlike the knights, soldiers and servants who surrounded the three in the middle, their masks were just for show. Not even all of them wore masks, instead only hiding behind a thin veil or nothing at all. They didn't need to hide. Why would they?
Their identities were not unknown.
Others whispered desires of wanting to know what hid under the masks of the three in the centre. But they all knew it was a lost dream.
Even Marga knew that.
She just wanted to see the pretty masks.
Only three were wearing the magic masks she had heard of for as long as she could remember. One with short white hair had a mask that went from below his left eye to the right bottom of his chin. The mask was white, plain compared to the others. It had silver strips that started at its eyes and slanted towards the bottom. There was a green paint around the edge, outlining the corner of his mouth that was covered. There was not a scratch on the carved porcelain. Marga imaged that the mask would be as smooth and cold as paint as it slid across the canvas.
The other, a women with bright blue hair, had a mask that only covered her eyes and nose. It was the colours of the sea, and depending on the time of day, could be sea green, midnight black or bright blue. There were pearls at the corners of each eye, and faded pink sea shells with pointed ends that started at the mask than ended just above her ears. Her mask was covered in sparkles that reminded Marga of the sea when the sun was high in the sky. The crowning achievement, in the centre was a white jewel the shape of a tear.
Finally, the third mask absolutely memorised her. It was purple, covering the man's eyes and the top of his nose. From the right eye the mask continued up to make the shape of three small waves, each framed with gold and one falling down to the other eye. The left eye was framed with gold, which branched out to design the mask with elegant swirls that had no pattern, yet they all made sense. All the colours were glazed so that they shone evenly but not enough to be to eye-catching. The ends of the mask were pointed, one with the waves and the other on its own. It reminded Marga of a purple crown, simply on the face instead of above. It screamed power, yet control. Excitement yet serenity.
It was a dream of Marga's to own a mask like theirs. If even just to wear one for a while.
But despite her age, she knew it would never come true.
Even from where Marga was hidden, she could see the golden paint on the other side, evidence of the magic that no one had confirmed, but everyone knew was real. She'd always wondered if the legend had been true. If the masks really were cursed. Her friend Otto had used to say that the masks were made of the bones of their ancestors, but Marga didn't believe that. Retta had said they were enchanted so that if anyone ever saw underneath the mask, they would turn to ashes in an instant. Marga hoped that wasn't true. But she had no proof.
No one had any proof.
It was all just speculation.
"Marga!" she jumped out of her trance at the sound of her name. "Marga? Marga, where are you?" she cringed, the fantasy falling away as reality seeped back in. She knew that she couldn't run. It would just make it worse when she eventually went home.
Slipping through the crowd she made her way towards the voice. From her eye line she was able to make out the familiar sandals that were tied just below her knees, underneath her plain pink dress. Marga hurried over to her, finally meeting her so she could stare up at her bright blue eyes.
"Marga!" Hakuei exclaimed. Her hair swooshed to the side as she knelt down to examine her. "Are you alright? You know not to run off like that!" Marga didn't protest as Hakuei turned her gently to make sure she hadn't gotten scratched. Sometimes Marga thought her sister could be to overprotective. She knew better than to say that out loud.
Once she was sure Marga was okay, Hakuei got to her feet and put her hands on her hips. "Marga, you know just as well as I do that you can't leave before it gets dark without telling someone! Mistress Madaura won't be happy."
Panicked slipped through her when she looked up at Hakuei with pleading eyes. "D-don't tell Madaura that I ran out! Please sister, she'll be so mad! Mother can be so scary when she's mad!" Hakuei hesitated.
But eventually gave in. "Alright, I won't tell her. Just promise you won't do this again, alright." Marga sighed gratefully as she took her hand, allowing her older sister to lead her away from the crowd and back towards their home. "Why did you sneak out anyway," Hakuei asked in curiosity. "It's not like you."
She bowed her head so she didn't have to meet her gaze. "I know, I'm sorry. I just wanted to see the masks," She added, glancing back wistfully to catch the last glimpses of the royal members as they walked towards the palace, ignoring the whispers of the crowd that had gathered around them. Hakuei glanced back, but unlike Marga who looked with wonder and awe, Hakuei's eyes were filled with annoyance and pity.
"You shouldn't go out of your way to see them," Hakuei advised her with a sharp edge to her tone. "You don't want to get involved in the politics of their lives." But the young girl didn't hear her.
"What do you think it's like?" Marga asked innocently, missing Hakuei's comment. "To wear masks like that? To live among the 12? It sounds incredible," She sighed, imagining a life different with hers with naïve optimism.
Hakuei on the other hand barely glanced back at the group that passed on. "I think it would be rather horrible," she answered honestly. "To have to hide yourself for so long so that your own face could become your mask." Marga did not hear her, entranced by the ideas that were dancing in her head.
Legend had it, the twelve kings and queens from each nation ruled the lands in a council of unity. No one knew who their leaders were. They could be a man you passed by in the street. Or a child who asked for an extra piece of bread. It was impossible to know. Until they told you.
If you paid attention enough, you could discover who the ruler of each country was, but not know who they really were. A person could match a mask to a country, but it took time and effort to discover the truth. They had no reason to tell the population so it was hard to find out. Their names were not secrets, but again, unless you met one in person or someone else told you, there was no way for the common citizens to know. The people of Kanji, the capital of the Kina Kingdom, could only refer to them by the designs of their masks, styles of their hair, or generally call them 'a member of affiliate of the council of 12.' Not only were the 12 members made to wear masks, but so were their direct subordinates, family members or anyone else who knew their identity. No one could know who hid underneath the mask. Each mask was entranced with magic to make sure that did not change.
The only way for it to change was if someone with a mask told you who they were, or took their mask off in front of you. Then the person would be able to see through the mask.
But for regular citizens, that was just a dream. So instead, the continued on, sending suspicious glances at strangers or even fellow civilians, in case they were royalty in true form. Many people wanted to know. Who were the ones with the power of a djinn? The ones who had magical powers that they could not understand. The people who held the lives of their friends and family in their hands. The very people who could change their lives with a snap of a finger.
Most people wanted to know.
Others didn't care.
Often, it was the ones who didn't want to know who found the truth.
Hi guys! New story! Hopefully it will work out well. It's the same time with the same powers of the regular magi universe, but politics, where people are and historical events are different. I don't own magi.
